Hospital bed

ABSTRACT

Hospital bed with two actuating screws, one for Hi-Low and the other for spring head section, with selectively operable control for interconnecting thigh section for operation with head section by interengagement of slotted link with pin head operating mechanism. Spring connects control member to link to prevent disengagement of link from pin by control member unless head section is in horizontal position.

States Gulliver Sept. 5, 1972 [54] HOSPITAL BED 3,436,769 4/1969 Burst ..5/67 [72] Inventor: Barron Gulliver Stevens Point 3,589,715 6/1971 Mark ..5/67

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [731 Assignee: 502,712 5/1954 Canada ..5/69

[22] Filed: Oct. 19, 1970 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam pp NO 81 655 Att0rneyDavis, Lucas, Brewer & Brugman [57] ABSTRACT [2%] Hospital bed with two actuating Screws, e for d 66 E 68 Low and the other for spring head section, with selec- 1 le 0 re tively operable control for interconnecting thigh section for operation with head section by interengage- [56] References Clted ment of slotted link with pin head operating UNITED STATES PATENTS mechanism. Spring connects control member to link 1 to prevent disengagement of link from pm by control 13; g

member unless head section is in horizontal position. 00 man 3,231,904 2/ 1966 Shulkin ..5/69 X 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDsEP 5 1912 saw 1 or 2 w fi J mmjll;

HOSPITAL BED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to hospital beds, and more particularly to means for raising and lowering the head and thigh sections of an articulated spring.

2. Description of the Prior Art Most prior art hospital beds having an articulated spring require separate actuating means for raising and lowering the bed, the head section of the spring and the spring thigh section. US. Pat. No. 3,436,769 simplifies such an arrangement by employing only two operating screws, one for Hi-Low and the other for the spring head section, with a linkage interconnected between the head and thigh sections which may be selectively rendered operable to effect contemporaneous movement of the thigh section with the head section. However, with this prior construction, the head section cannot conveniently be raised manually for cleaning purposes, and operation of the thigh section control means from operative to inoperative position when the head and thigh sections are in a raised position will result in unrestrained dropping of the thigh section back to normal horizontal position which could cause discomfort or injury to a patient in the bed or damage to the bed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by interposing a link between the head and thigh spring sections which is selectively engageable with and disengageable from a pin on the head section elevating mechanism only when the head section is horizontal by a manually operable control member and resilient means interconnecting the latter and the link. The head section has only free sliding engagement with its elevating mechanism, and one end of a pin-engaging notch in the link defines a cam surface so that the head and thigh sections may be raised manually at any time for cleaning purposes. The other end of the pin-engaging notch in the link is hook-shaped to be engaged by the pin with the link in operative position in response to any lifting movement of the head elevating mechanism, so that disconnection of the link cannot be effected unless the head section is in horizontal position, except in response to manual raising of the thigh section, and the resilient means will return the link to the position previously set by the control member when the thigh section thereafter is lowered manually.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a hospital bed incorporating the features of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail vertical elevation, as viewed from the line 22 of FIG. 1, showing the link for interconnecting the head and thigh sections in its lowermost or inoperative position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the interconnecting link retained in operative position by the control member with the spring frame sections horizontal; and

FIG. 4 is a detail perspective view from the interior of the frame, as in FIGS. 2 and 3, of the control member restraining means.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, a main bed frame of well-known construction is shown as being made up of side frame angles 11, a head end angle 12 and a foot end angle 13, and also includes head end trunnion plates or pivot tube holders 14 (FIG. 2) secured in any suitable manner to and depending from the side frame angles 1 l.

The foot end angle 13 has two pairs of brackets 15 depending therefrom (FIG. I) for supporting I-Ii-Low and head mechanical tube assemblies 16 and 17, respectively, in well-known manner. The l-Ii-Low tube assembly 16 incorporates the usual screw shaft rotatable by a manual crank 18 and threadingly engaging a nut disposed interiorly and secured to the outer end of a torque arm 19 thereby movable longitudinally of the bed in response to rotation of the crank 18. A cable anchoring bracket 21 suitably mounted on the torque arm 19 for longitudinal movement therewith is secured in well-known manner to the ends of a pair of head end cables 22 and a pair of foot end cables 23 disposed therebelow. The cables 22 and 23 are strung around suitable sheaves rotatably mounted on the bed frame in well-known manner, with their other ends connected to the foot and head support leg members (not shown) to effect raising and lowering of the main bed frame in response to rotations of the I-Ii-Low crank 18 as is understood in the art. In similar manner, the head tube assembly 17 includes a crank 24 and a torque tube 25 movable longitudinally of the bed frame in response to rotation of that head crank 24.

The bed also includes the usual articulated spring comprising a seat section 26 extending across and secured at its ends in any suitable manner to the side frame angles 11 and including end panels to which are pivoted a head section 27 and a thigh section 28 at their inner ends. A foot section 29 is pivotally connected in similar manner at its inner end to the outer end of the thigh section 28 and, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 1, is provided with rollers 31 adjacent its outer end for engagement with and movement along the upper surfaces of the side frame angles 11.

The inner or head end of the torque tube 25 is pivotally connected to the upper end of an arm 32, the lower end of which is welded or otherwise secured to one of a pair of head lift arms 33 intermediate the ends thereof. The inner or lower ends of these lift arms 33 are rigidly secured in any suitable manner to a transversely extending pivot tube 34 which is pivotally mounted adjacent its ends in the depending trunnion plates or holders 14. At their outer or upper ends, each of the head lift arms 33 is provided with a roller 35 pivotally mounted thereon for engagement with the undersurface of the associated side rail of the head section 27. Consequently, rotation of the head crank 24 will effect longitudinal movement of the torque tube 25 to swing the arms 33 to raise and lower the head section 27 as desired. It also will be noted, especially from FIGS. 2 and 3, that the head section 27 of the articulated spring is free to be swung upwardly manually at any time.

Means are provided for selectively raising and lowering the thigh section 28 in response to raising and lowering of the head section 27 by means of crank 24 whenever the nurse or attendant desires. To this end,

the thigh section 28 is provided with a pair of cross tubes 36 which are secured in any desired manner at their upwardly disposed ends to the side frame angles of the thigh section. A vertically disposed arm 37 is rigidly secured at its upper end to the innermost cross tube 36 and at its lower end to the lower end of a brace 38, the upper end of which likewise is secured to the outer cross tube 36. The lower ends of the arm 37 and brace 38 are similarly secured to the outer end of a pivot arm 39, the inner end of which is pivotally connected to the inner end of a knee or thigh link 41. This link 41 extends toward the head section 27 between a pair of parallel brackets 42 upstanding from and secured at their lower ends to the pivot tube 34. The upper ends of these parallel brackets 42 are joined by a clevis pin 43 which is adapted to cooperate with a notch 44 in the upper surface of the link 41. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inner end of this notch 44 (the left end as seen therein) is hook-shaped for posi tive engagement with the clevis pin 43 under circumstances later to be described, and its outer end is formed as an outwardly sloping cam surface. The outer end of the link 41 may be provided with a laterally extending pin 45 to insure against accidental inward displacement or movement of the link toward the foot of the bed beyond, and from its position between, the parallel brackets 42.

Selectively operable control means for moving the thigh link 41 between operative and inoperative positions is provided which comprises a control member or shaft 46 having a suitable manually engageable knob at its outer end and connected at its inner end by resilient means in the form of a spring 47 to the link 41 intermediate the ends thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, a plate 48 is provided with a circular aperture 49 slightly larger in diameter than the shaft 46 through which the latter extends, the plate being secured at its lower edge in any suitable manner to the inner edge of the right-hand side frame angle 11. The adjacent end panel of the seat section 26 is provided with a J-shaped slot or aperture 51 extending therethrough, and the shaft or control member 46 also is disposed in or extends through that slot. With this arrangement, the shaft or control member 46 may be moved pivotally on the plate 48 from its normal inoperative position of FIG. 2, in which it is disposed in the longer vertical portion of the J-slot 51, downwardly into the bottom of that slot, toward the head end of the bed and upwardly into the shorter vertical portion of slot 51 into its operative position of FIG. 3. Such shifting of the control member 46, which comprises downward, lateral and slightly upward movement of the outer end thereof, reversely moves its inner end to extend the spring 47 and apply a lifting force to the upper end thereof. So long as there is nothing to block movement of the thigh link 41, such force is transmitted from the control shaft 46 through the spring 47 to move the link 41 pivotally upward into its operative position of FIG. 3. Rotation of the head section crank 24 to pull the torque tube 25 toward the foot of the bed (to the left in FIG. 3) thereafter will swing the brackets 42 and the clevis pin 43 in that same direction to engage pin 43 in the hook-shaped end of the notch 44. Continued head section lifting movement of the arms 33 will cause the clevis pin 43 to move the link 41 toward the foot end of the bed (to the left in FIG. 3) to correspondingly swing the thigh section 28 upwardly about its pivotal connections to the seat section 26.

When the parts have been so operated to raise the head and thigh sections, although there is nothing to prevent return of the control member from its operative position of FIG. 3 to its inoperative position of FIG. 2, such movement of that control member will not disengage the thigh link 41 from operative engagement with the clevis pin 43. Consequently, accidental dropping of the thigh and foot sections back to horizontal position in response to such return of the control member 46 to inoperative position cannot occur, so that injury or damage to a patient in the bed or to the bed will be prevented.

It will be appreciated that the resilient means or spring 47 will function with the apertures 49, 51 as restraining means for retaining the control member in either of its operative or inoperative positions of FIGS. 3 and 2 to which it is moved. When the spring sections are horizontal as illustrated in those figures, return of the control member 46 from its operative position of FIG. 3 to its inoperative position of FIG. 2 will so reduce the tension on the spring 47 that the thigh link 41 will drop to its inoperative position of FIG. 2. In that normal position of the link 41, swinging of the clevis pin 43 in response to raising of the head lift arms 33 will carry the pin past the notch 44 so that the thigh section 28 will remain horizontal. Thereafter, movement of the control member 46 to its operative position of FIG. 3 will merely raise the link 41 to engage its upper edge at some point toward the foot of the bed from the notch 44 with the clevis pin 43. It will be understood, of course, if the control member 46 remains in such operative position, subsequent lowering of the head section lift arms 33 will result in automatic engagement of the notch 44 with pin 43 as the head section returns to horizontal position.

It also will be appreciated in view of the above description that the thigh and foot sections 28 and 29 of the articulated spring may be swung upwardly or raised manually at any time for cleaning purposes, or the like. Such raising of the thigh section 28 will not be prevented even if the clevis pin 43 is engaged in the notch 44, because the resulting pulling of the thigh link 41 toward the foot of the bed (to the left in FIG. 3) will cause the free end of the link to be depressed when the end cam surface of notch 44 is moved into engagement with the pin 43. Thereafter, if the control member 46 is left in its operative position of FIG. 3, manual lowering of the thigh section to its normal horizontal position will result in automatic reengagement of the notch 44 and pin 43 in response to the continuing lifting force then being applied to the link 41 by the spring 47.

It is thought that the invention and many of the attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

I. In a hospital bed having a main frame, I-Ii-Low means for raising and lowering said frame, and an articulated spring, comprising a seat section secured to said main frame, a head section pivotally connected at its inner end to said seat section, a thigh section pivotally connected at its inner end to said seat section, and a foot section pivotally connected at its inner end to the outer end of said thigh section and freely slidably supported at its outer end on said frame; head elevating mechanism, comprising arm means pivotally secured at a lower end to said frame and at an upper end freely slidably engaging said head section, and screw-actuated means for pivotally swinging said arm means to raise and lower said head section; thigh elevating mechanism, comprising a thigh arm secured to said thigh section, and a link pivotally connected thereto; and selectively operable control means for releasably interconnecting said link and said arm means to effect optional actuation of said thigh elevating mechanism in response to raising and lowering of said head section by said head elevating mechanism, whereby said head, thigh and foot sections may be freely raised manually at any time for cleaning purposes, said control means comprising a selectively operable control member, and resilient means connecting said control member to said link.

2. A hospital bed according to claim 1, wherein said resilient means is a spring, and movement of said control member from an inoperative to an operative position causes said spring to resiliently urge said link into operative engagement with said arm means.

3. In a hospital bed according to claim 2, restraining means mounted on said frame for receiving and releasably retaining said control member selectively in operative or inoperative positions.

4. A hospital bed according to claim 2, wherein said link and said arm means are formed for interengagement in response to movement of said control member into operative position when said head and thigh sections are horizontal, said interengagement is rendered positive in response to subsequent raising of said head section, and release of said interengagement in response to movement of said control member to inoperative position is effective only when said head section is horizontal.

5. A hospital bed according to claim 1, wherein said arm means includes a pin, and said link is provided with an edge notch normally disengaged from said pin and engageable therewith in response to movement of said control member from an inoperative to an operative position.

6. A hospital bed according to claim 5, wherein said resilient means engages said notch with said pin when said control member is moved to operative position and said head section is horizontal, and said notch is hookshaped at one end to positively engage said pin in response to subsequent raising of said arm means to prevent disengagement of said link from said pin by said control member until said head section is returned to horizontal position.

7. A hospital bed according to claim 6, wherein the other end of said notch is formed as a cam surface operable to disengage said link from said pin against the action of said resilient means when said thigh section is raised manually with said control member in operative position. 

1. In a hospital bed having a main frame, Hi-Low means for raising and lowering said frame, and an articulated spring, comprising a seat section secured to said main frame, a head section pivotally connected at its inner end to said seat section, a thigh section pivotally connected at its inner end to said seat section, and a foot section pivotally connected at its inner end to the outer end of said thigh section and freely slidably supported at its outer end on said frame; head elevating mechanism, comprising arm means pivotally secured at a lower end to said frame and at an upper end freely slidably engaging said head section, and screw-actuated means for pivotally swinging said arm means to raise and lower said head section; thigh elevating mechanism, comprising a thigh arm secured to said thigh section, and a link pivotally connected thereto; and selectively operable control means for releasably interconnecting said link and said arm means to effect optional actuation of said thigh elevating mechanism in response to raising and lowering of said head section by said head elevating mechanism, whereby said head, thigh and foot sections may be freely raised manually at any time for cleaning purposes, said control means comprising a selectively operable control member, and resilient means connecting said control member to said link.
 2. A hospital bed according to claim 1, wherein said resilient means is a spring, and movement of said control member from an inoperative to an operative position causes said spring to resiliently urge said link into operative engagement with said arm means.
 3. In a hospital bed according to claim 2, restraining means mounted on said frame for receiving and releasably retaining said control member selectively in operative or inoperative positions.
 4. A hospital bed according to claim 2, wherein said link and said arm means are formed for interEngagement in response to movement of said control member into operative position when said head and thigh sections are horizontal, said interengagement is rendered positive in response to subsequent raising of said head section, and release of said interengagement in response to movement of said control member to inoperative position is effective only when said head section is horizontal.
 5. A hospital bed according to claim 1, wherein said arm means includes a pin, and said link is provided with an edge notch normally disengaged from said pin and engageable therewith in response to movement of said control member from an inoperative to an operative position.
 6. A hospital bed according to claim 5, wherein said resilient means engages said notch with said pin when said control member is moved to operative position and said head section is horizontal, and said notch is hook-shaped at one end to positively engage said pin in response to subsequent raising of said arm means to prevent disengagement of said link from said pin by said control member until said head section is returned to horizontal position.
 7. A hospital bed according to claim 6, wherein the other end of said notch is formed as a cam surface operable to disengage said link from said pin against the action of said resilient means when said thigh section is raised manually with said control member in operative position. 